While most 19-year-olds worry about starting their lives as adults or deciding which college to attend, Paul Mario Day found himself taking the stage with Iron Maiden. Although many didn’t know about the heavy metal band at the time, the group would eventually become a top name in the genre, selling over 130 million albums worldwide. Remembered as the original vocalist for Iron Maiden, Day sadly passed away at the age of 69.
On July 29th, heavy metal lost yet another member when Day passed away. While the cause of death remained unknown at the time, the singer battled cancer over the last few years.
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Although once the lead singer of Iron Maiden, his time with the band lasted less than a year when he was let go. The reason for his exit was his lack of stage energy. Still, Day never forgot his time with Iron Maiden and helping the group start its legacy. “When I sang in Iron Maiden, it was a new pub band and nobody wanted to see or hear them. We were all nobodies all trying to make the best music we could and fighting for an audience.”
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More Honors Paul Mario Day With Touching Tribute
Outside of taking over lead vocals in Iron Maiden, apparently, Day also wrote for the group. He suggested, more than once, that he helped write “Strange World.” A hit song from the group, he admitted, “Back then we were all pulling for the same side and it still hurts to think the first-ever song I ever composed was on a big-selling album and nobody knows it was me.”
After parting ways with Iron Maiden, Day went on to form the band More in 1980. Sharing a tribute to the singer, the band posted an image of Day on Instagram, writing, “It’s an honour for us to continue to play his music and we will always think of him every time we hit the opening notes to ‘Warhead’.”
While sending their support to Day’s family and friends, More asked fans to remember the singer by simply playing his music. “Play his music loud and sing along!”
With a career lasting five decades, Day’s contributions to More and Iron Maiden will always be remembered.
(MetalTalk, 2019)